U.S. patent application number 12/890736 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-26 for stylus retaining mechanism for portable electronic device.
This patent application is currently assigned to FIH (HONG KONG) LIMITED. Invention is credited to KUAN-HUNG CHEN, JING-HUA LIU, YONG-GANG ZHANG.
Application Number | 20120018336 12/890736 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45492698 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120018336 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIU; JING-HUA ; et
al. |
January 26, 2012 |
STYLUS RETAINING MECHANISM FOR PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE
Abstract
A stylus retaining mechanism is configured for retaining a
stylus. The stylus defines a cavity. The main body defines a
receiving chamber to receive the stylus and a through hole above
the receiving chamber. An elastic member is positioned at one end
of the receiving chamber. A button assembly is attached in the
cavity of the stylus. The button assembly includes a spring
abutting the button. The through hole allows the button to
partially extend through. The elastic member is compressed and
abuts the stylus when the stylus is received in the receiving
chamber.
Inventors: |
LIU; JING-HUA; (Shenzhen,
CN) ; ZHANG; YONG-GANG; (Shenzhen, CN) ; CHEN;
KUAN-HUNG; (Shindian, TW) |
Assignee: |
FIH (HONG KONG) LIMITED
Kowloon
HK
SHENZHEN FUTAIHONG PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
ShenZhen City
CN
|
Family ID: |
45492698 |
Appl. No.: |
12/890736 |
Filed: |
September 27, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/488 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/1656 20130101;
G06F 2200/1632 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/488 |
International
Class: |
B65D 77/22 20060101
B65D077/22 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 22, 2010 |
CN |
201010233907.4 |
Claims
1. A stylus retaining mechanism comprising: a stylus including a
tip end and defining a cavity, two parallel posts formed in the
cavity; a main body defining a stylus receiving chamber and a
through hole above the stylus receiving chamber; an elastic member
positioned at one end of the stylus receiving chamber and one end
of the elastic member placed around the tip end of the stylus; and
a button assembly attached in the cavity of the stylus and
partially received in the through hole, the button assembly
including a button for direct contact by a user, two springs, the
springs respectively placed around the posts, and abutting against
the button, whereby pressing of the button by the user causes the
button assembly to release the latching of the stylus in the
receiving chamber, and the elastic member providing a force to push
the stylus from the stylus receiving chamber.
2. The stylus retaining mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the button assembly further includes a holder received in the
cavity, the holder is mounted on the springs and the button, and
the holder defines an opening allowing the button to partially
extend through.
3. The stylus retaining mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein
the holder comprises a sidewall and a rim at one end of the
sidewall, and the opening is defined by the rim.
4. The stylus retaining mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein
the button comprises a main portion and a flange around the main
portion, the opening allows the main portion to extend through, and
the rim prevents the button from separating from the holder.
5. The stylus retaining mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein
the main body comprises a connecting board at one end of the stylus
receiving chamber, and another end of the elastic member abuts the
connecting board.
6. The stylus retaining mechanism as claimed in claim 5, wherein
the elastic member is a spring, a column extends from the
connecting board and is coaxial with the stylus, and another end of
the elastic member is mounted on the column.
7. The stylus retaining mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein
the main body comprises a housing and a cover, the cover covers the
stylus receiving chamber of the housing, the through hole is
defined in the cover, the housing includes a bottom plate, and the
connecting board is formed on the bottom plate.
8. The stylus retaining mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein
two substantially parallel bars are formed on the bottom plate, and
the stylus receiving chamber is defined by the bottom plate, the
bars, the connecting board and the cover.
9. The stylus retaining mechanism as claimed in claim 8, wherein
the housing defines a notch communicating to the stylus receiving
chamber at one end, and the cover defines a cutout corresponding to
the notch of the housing.
10. A portable electronic device comprising: a stylus including a
tip end and defining a cavity, two parallel posts formed in the
cavity; a main body defining a stylus receiving chamber to receive
the stylus and a through hole above the stylus receiving chamber;
an elastic member fixed at one end of the stylus receiving chamber,
one end of the elastic member placed around the tip end of the
stylus; and a button assembly attached in the cavity of the stylus,
the button assembly including two springs and a button, the springs
respectively placed around the posts and abutting the button, the
stylus locked in the stylus receiving chamber by engagement between
the button and the through hole, and the elastic member pushing the
stylus out from the stylus receiving chamber when the button is
depressed.
11. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 10, wherein
two parallel posts are formed in the cavity, and each spring is
mounted on a corresponding post.
12. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein
the button assembly further includes a holder received in the
cavity, the holder is mounted on the springs and the button, and
the holder defines an opening allowing the button to partially
extend through.
13. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 12, wherein
the holder comprises a sidewall and a rim at one end of the
sidewall, and the opening is defined by the rim.
14. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 12, wherein
the button includes a main portion and a flange around the main
portion, the opening allows the main portion to extend through, and
the rim prevents the button from separating from the holder.
15. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 14, wherein
the main body comprises a connecting board at one end of the stylus
receiving chamber, and another end of the elastic member abuts the
connecting board.
16. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 15, wherein
the elastic member is a spring, a column extends from the
connecting board and is coaxial with the stylus, and one end of the
spring is mounted on the column.
17. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 16, wherein
the main body comprises a housing and a cover, the cover covers the
stylus receiving chamber of the housing, the through hole is
defined in the cover, the housing includes a bottom plate, and the
connecting board is formed on the bottom plate.
18. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 17, wherein
two substantially parallel bars are formed on the bottom plate, and
the stylus receiving chamber is defined by the bottom plate, the
bars, the connecting board and the cover.
19. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 18, wherein
the housing defines a notch communicating to the stylus receiving
chamber at one end, and the cover defines a cutout corresponding to
the notch of the housing.
20. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 10, wherein
the main body comprises a protrusion in the stylus receiving
chamber adjacent to the through hole.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The exemplary disclosure generally relates to a stylus
retaining mechanism, and, particularly, to a stylus retaining
mechanism used in a portable electronic device.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Many portable electronic devices, such as palmtop computers,
hand-held computers, laptop computers, mobile phones and personal
digital assistants (PDAs), include a stylus or a touch pen. This
can be utilized to input information into the electronic device, to
select menu options or otherwise navigate through a touch control
graphical user interfaces of an operating system or the current
software. Generally, the stylus is stored inside a housing of the
portable electronic device. A stylus retaining mechanism is used to
retain the stylus. A conventional stylus retaining mechanism
includes a hook to lock the stylus. However, the stylus is easy to
be tightly locked by the hook but it is hard to take out.
[0005] Therefore, there is chamber for improvement within the
art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Many aspects of the stylus retaining mechanism can be better
understood with reference to the following drawings. The components
in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis
instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of
the stylus retaining mechanism.
[0007] FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of a stylus retaining
mechanism with a stylus, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 2 is an assembled, isometric view of the stylus
retaining mechanism shown in FIG. 1.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the stylus retaining
mechanism along line III-III of FIG. 2.
[0010] FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3, but showing that the stylus is
pushed out by an ejection assembly of the stylus retaining
mechanism.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a stylus retaining
mechanism 100 applied to a portable electronic device (not labeled)
for retaining a stylus 10.
[0012] The stylus 10 includes a head portion 13, an end portion 15
and a body portion 11 connecting the head portion 13 and the end
portion 15. The body portion 11 defines a cavity 111. Two spaced
posts 1111 are formed in the cavity 111.
[0013] The stylus retaining mechanism 100 includes a button
assembly 20, a cover 30, a housing 40, and an elastic member 50.
The button assembly 20 is engaged in the cavity 111 of the stylus
10, and includes two springs 22, a button 24 and a holder 26. The
button 24 includes a main portion 244 and a flange 242 around the
main portion 244.
[0014] The holder 26 defines a receiving chamber 263 (shown in FIG.
3) for receiving the springs 22 and the button 24. The holder 26 is
sized to fit into the cavity 111 of the stylus 10. A rim 264 is
formed at one end of the holder 26, and defines an opening 266
communicating to the receiving chamber 263 to allow the main
portion 244 of the button 24 to extend through. The rim 264 is
configured for preventing the button 24 from separating from the
holder 26. In this exemplary embodiment, the receiving chamber 263
is surrounded by an annular sidewall 262. However, it should be
understood that the sidewall 262 can be any shape, not only
annular. Also, the sidewall 262 can be divided into two or more
parts.
[0015] To attach the button assembly 20 to the cavity 111 of the
stylus 10, one end of each spring 22 is mounted on a corresponding
post 1111, the other end abutting against the button 24. The holder
26 is inserted into the cavity 111 and is mounted on the button 24
and the springs 22. The holder 26 is fixed in the cavity 111 by
adhesive or other means. The main portion 244 extends through the
opening 266.
[0016] The cover 30 defines a cutout 32 at one end thereof and a
through hole 34 at one side thereof. The through hole 34 allows the
main portion 244 to extend through. A protrusion 36 (shown in FIG.
3) is formed between the cutout 32 and the through hole 34.
[0017] The housing 40 includes a bottom plate 42 and an end wall
44. Two substantially parallel bars 45 are formed at one side of
the bottom plate 42. The two bars 45 defines a space 46
therebetween. A connecting board 47 away from the end wall 44
connects the two bars 45 at one end. A column 48 extends from the
connecting board 47 between the two bars 45. The end wall 44
defines a notch 442 corresponding to the cutout 32 of the cover 30.
The notch 442 is aligned with the space 46.
[0018] The elastic member 50 is a spring. One end of the elastic
member 50 is mounted on the column 48.
[0019] When the cover 30 is attached to the housing 40, the bottom
plate 42, the two bars 45, the connecting board 47 and the cover 30
cooperatively define a receiving chamber 46 for receiving the
stylus 10. The through hole 34 and the protrusion 36 are positioned
above the space 46 between the bars 45. The notch 442 and the
cutout 32 allow the stylus 10 to be inserted into the receiving
chamber 46.
[0020] To attach the stylus 10 to the stylus retaining mechanism
100, referring to FIGS. 2-4, the end portion 15 is inserted into
the receiving chamber 46 via the notch 442. The button 24 abuts the
cover 30 while the springs 22 are compressed. The stylus 10 is
further moved into the receiving chamber 46 and passes the
protrusion 36. The end portion 15 of the stylus 10 then abuts the
elastic member 50. At the same time, the elastic member 50 is
compressed. The stylus 10 is stopped moving when the button 24
reaches the through hole 34. The springs 22 rebound to their
original shapes, pushing the button 24 to extend through the
through hole 34. Thus, the stylus 10 is locked in the receiving
chamber 46.
[0021] To detach the stylus 10 from the stylus retaining mechanism
100, the button 31 is depressed, and the springs 22 are compressed
at the same time. The stylus 10 is ejected by a rebounding force of
the compressed elastic member 50. It should be understood that the
protrusion 36 can prevent the stylus 10 from being wholly pushed
out. Since the head portion 13 is pushed out from the notch 442, it
is easy to detach the stylus 10 from the receiving chamber 46 via
the head portion 13. When the stylus 10 is moved out from the
receiving chamber 46, the button 24 returns to an original position
by a rebounding force of the springs 22.
[0022] It is to be understood that the number of the springs 22 may
be reduced to be only one, and the number of the posts 1111 is
accordingly changed.
[0023] It is to be understood that even though numerous
characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been
set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of
the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is
illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in
matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the
principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the
broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are
expressed.
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